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P E N I N S U L A
Thursday, September 13, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 48, Issue 297
In the news Alaska whale hunter quotas extended ANCHORAGE — The International Whaling Commission has extended bowhead whale catch limits for Alaska’s Eskimo subsistence hunters. U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan’s office says the seven-year quota was approved Wednesday at the IWC’s annual meeting, taking place in Florianopolis, Brazil. Sullivan spokesman Matt Shuckerow says yearly strike limits will stay at 67, with no more than 392 whales landed over a seven-year period starting in 2019. Shuckerow says those strikes included some allocated to Russia’s Chukotka natives as in the past. The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, which decides how quotas are split among Alaska villages, said last year it wanted a yearly strike limit of 100. Attempts to reach commission officials Wednesday were not immediately successful.
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Governor’s race a referendum on Alaska’s future, candidates assert in latest debate By JAMES BROOKS Juneau Empire
Alaska’s leading governor candidates continued to compete for the attention of voters on Wednesday in Ketchikan, declaring that this fall’s election will be a referendum on the future of Alaska. In a forum hosted by Southeast Conference, incumbent independent Gov. Bill Walker, Democrat Mark Begich and Republican Mike Dunleavy answered questions for more than an hour, with each attempting to outline his vision of the future. “You can stay where you are, you can go back to the past, or you can go into the future,” Begich said, gesturing to Walker, Dunleavy and
himself in turn. The forum was broadcast via Periscope by the Ketchikan Daily News, which said hundreds of people filled the Ted Ferry Civic Center. Aside from Begich’s remark, which was given in the forum’s closing statements, the three men made few references to each other. That was in part due to the forum’s format, which allowed audience members to ask questions of the three and allowed each a minute to respond. As with the Juneau Chamber of Commerce forum last week and the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce forum earlier this week, questions were focused on fiscal issues and economics; there were no questions about social issues
or crime. Within that limited scope, the three differed most sharply on their approaches to Alaska’s estimated $700 million billion budget deficit. Begich offered a three-point plan: Spend half the investment earnings of the Alaska Permanent Fund on dividends and reserve the other half for education; implement efficiency improvements to save money; and then approve a tax to make up the rest. “You will need some funding. You will need some revenues,” he said, avoiding — as all three candidates did — the word “tax.” Walker suggested keeping the Permanent Fund appropriation plan approved by the Legislature and building a
From left to right, Republican Mike Dunleavy, independent Bill Walker and Democrat Mark Begich are seen in a composite file image. The three men appeared in a Ketchikan forum hosted by Southeast Conference on Wednesday afternoon. (Juneau Empire composite image)
“full fiscal plan” atop that. Fund Dividend on the lines of Dunleavy said he would like the traditional statutory levels. to see a spending cap “near $4 This year, that would have See GOV, page A2 billion” and a “full” Permanent
Kenai to host Silver Salmon Derby
Fast ferry’s future uncertain as it leaves southeast Alaska JUNEAU — The crew and passengers celebrated a fast ferry’s possible last voyage in southeast Alaska over the weekend. CoastAlaska reports the ferry Fairweather traveled from Skagway and Haines to Juneau on Sunday, taking its last trip in the area for the season before continuing operation in the Prince William Sound. Two ferries of a different class are expected to enter the service of the Alaska Marine Highway next year, casting doubt on the future of the fast ferry. The two new vessels are slower but can hold more passengers and vehicles. Officials say they’re also more fuel-efficient and less expensive to operate. Alaska Marine Highway System General Manager John Falvey says the decision on the Fairweather’s future will be made next year when the first new ferry is delivered. — Associated Press
By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Kenai’s second Silver Salmon Derby starts Friday. The derby is unlike other derbies you’ll see around the state. Where one town gives a prize to whoever catches the heaviest fish, Kenai opts for a mystery weight that is generated daily. The city of Kenai and the Kenai Chamber of Commerce host the event, and every day a “magic wheel” is spun and the weight of the day is chosen from there. Silver salmon coming in that day and weigh closest to the magic number are eligible for daily cash prizes that are generated from a percentage of ticket sales. There is also an overall prize of $1,000, plus 10 perNorthern lights glow about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday over Diamond Ridge near Homer, Alaska. At times the aurora spread in a long arc cent of the gross ticket sales. from east to west. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News) The event began last year as a
Northern lights return
See DERBY, page A2
On the lookout for Cook Inlet’s belugas Fairbanks By ERIN THOMPSON Peninsula Clarion
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Cook Inlet’s belugas will be the target of a different kind of hunt this weekend. On Saturday, communities on the Cook Inlet will be on the look out for the whales during this year’s Belugas Count. An initiative of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries, the second-annual event will enlist “citizen scientists” to observe beluga whale populations in different areas of the inlet. The count was launched as part of a recovery plan for the Inlet beluga population, Verena Gill, NOAA wildlife biologist and Cook Inlet beluga recovery coordinator, said. Gill said she wanted to engage the public and raise the profile of belugas in the effort to protect the inlet population. The public count piloted last year, and included an event at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage. About 2,000 people turned out for the event, Gill said. “It was really a wonderful
experience and I realized just how much people love Cook Inlet belugas,” Gill said. The program has expanded this year to include 14 designated viewing sites along the inlet, including Tyonek, Kenai and Homer, which has declared Sept. 15 Belugas Count Day. Hilcorps and Glacier Oil and Gas will also participate — counting belugas from their platforms. The event will include Facebook Live broadcasts from different viewing stations and a livestream update from SeaWorld San Antonio featuring Tyonek, the beluga calf rescued from Cook Inlet mudflats in September 2017. A Beluga Festival will also take place at the Alaska Zoo following the count. Participants in last year’s beluga count reported 255 sightings. Gill said the count isn’t intended to calculate the total number of belugas in Cook Inlet, but to get a better idea of their movements and behavior. Once numbering as many
area considers smoke scrubbers
inlet, however, is still declining. “I think it was a surprise when they didn’t recover,” Gill said. Gill hopes to see public interest in belugas grow, and is working to find citizen scientists who would be willing to monitor beluga populations during other times of the year. Ed Schmidt, president and
FAIRBANKS (AP) — Fairbanks-area officials are considering launching a program to test if devices designed to scrub wood smoke of toxic particles could help reduce air pollution in the city. The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly is scheduled to decide this week if it will appropriate about $458,000 for the project, testing if domestic chimney smoke scrubbers could be effectively implemented, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported . To comply with the federal Clean Air Act, the borough has until December 2019 to bring down levels of a toxic particulate found largely in wood smoke. It’s required to reduce
See COUNT, page A2
See SCRUB, page A2
In this September 2017 file photo from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, beluga whales arch their backs through the surface of the water. Of Alaska’s five distinct beluga whale populations, only Cook Inlet’s is listed as endangered. (Courtesy the Alaska Department of Fish and Game)
as 1,300, Cook Inlet belugas were listed as endangered in 2008 and now number in the mid-300s, Gill said. The most recent head count of belugas, done in 2016, reported 320 belugas, she said. Over harvesting of belugas helped contribute to the decline in their numbers, and a moratorium on hunting in 2006 was intended to help the population recover. The number of belugas in the